Guidelines for Application Integration - patterns & practices

Most organizations today use an increasing number of
applications and services to solve specific business problems.
In many cases, these applications and services exist
on different platforms and were created at different
times. The challenge that most organizations now face
is to provide a method by which these
applications can work together to address business goals
that constantly evolve. This guide examines in detail
what application integration means and describes the capabilities
needed to enable application integration. Topics include: Application
architects; Business analysts and decision-makers; System integrators; Patterns
& Practices contain specific recommendations; Illustrating how to
design, build, deploy, and operate architecturally sound solutions
to challenging business and technical scenarios. The technical
guidance is reviewed and approved by Microsoft engineering
teams, consultants, and Product Support Services, and by
partners and customers.